Time-train unit for clocks and the like



. 21, 1945. M. .g ,JOHNSON TIME-TRAI UNIT FOR CLOCKS AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 25, '1943 I I l I l l Il IIIIIl-lllllll llllllllllill ||||lllllllllllllllllllllnl.

5--.-; IIL- l I {l} |||1|||xl||||1 ---11111111-11 Patented Aug. 21, 1945 TIME-TRAIN UNIT FOR CLOCKS AND THE LIKE Manfred J. Johnson, New Haven, Conn., assignor to The United States Time Corporation, a corporation of Connecticut Application February 25, 1943, Serial No. 477,090

2 Claims.

' determined times of the day or at selected timeintervals irrespective of the time of day.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a superior time-train unit comprising a casing and a time-train therein, and in which the oxidation or other decomposition of the lubricant contained in the said casing is kept at a minimum.

Another object of` the present invention is to i provide a superior time-train unit wherein oil or other lubricant will be caused to. spread within the casing with maximum freedom and with a minimum of interference with the operation of the time-train proper in the said casing.

With the above and other objects in view, as will appear to those skilled in the art from the present disclosure, this invention includes all eatures in the said disclosure which are novel over the prior art and which are not claimed in any separate application.

In the accompanying drawing, in which certain modes of carrying out the present invention are f shown for illustrative purposes:

Fig. l is a View of the time-train unit in centrallongitudinal section, together with a schematic showing oi means for creating a partial vacuum within the casing and for supplying lubricant into the said casing;

Fig. 2 is a broken View similar to Fig. 1 but showing the conclusion of the operation of installing oil into the casing, and the preliminary sealing of the inletand outlet-tubes of the said casing; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the time-train unit showing the same after the final sealing of its inletand outlet-tubes.

As before noted, the present invention is applicable to a wide range of time-instruments, but in the instance shown in the accompanying drawing, the invention has been applied in connection with a synchronous electric clock rather than a spring-driven time-instrument.

The synchronous electric clock shown in the accompanying drawing for purposes of illustrating one form of the present invention, comprisesa time-train unit generally designated by the reference character Il.

The time-train unit il above referred to includes a casing or housing generally designated by the reference character 26 and enclosing a rotor, a time-train and associated parts which also constitute features of the time-train unit il, as will more fully hereinafter appear. The said casing or housing 2B is preferably formed of a suitable synthetic or equivalent resin (nonmagnetic and nonconductive) and comprises a relativelylarge-diametered forward portion 2l and a relatively-small-diametered rear portion 28. The said rear portion 28 of the casing 26 is closed at its rear end by an integral end wall 29 and is integrally joined at its front to the rear of the forward portion 2l by a substantially-radial intermediatewall .36.

The otherwise open front end of the casing 26 is closed in an oil-tight manner by an end plate 3l which, like the casing 26 itself, is preferably also formed of nonmagnetic and nonconductingmaterial in the form of a synthetic resin or its equivalent. The said end plate 3| is recessed into the forward end of the casing 26 and is preferably retained therein by a ring of cernentitious material 32, as is shown in Fig. l.

Molded into or otherwise rigidly organized with the rear portion 28 of the casing 26 in an oiltight manner is a iiuX-conducting ring generally designated by the reference character 33 and which requires no detailed description herein other than to say that it is formed of magnetic material such, for instance, as soit iron, and serves to conduct flux radially into and out of the interior of the rear portion 28 of the casing 26.

The end wall 29 of the relatively-small-diametered rear portion 28 of the casing 26 has molded or otherwise mounted in its forward or inner face, a bearing-bushing 41 formed of bronze or other suitable antifriction material and in which is rotatably mounted the rear end of a rotor-shaft 48, as is especially well shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The saidrotor-shaft is' located axially within the hollow interior of the rear portion 28 of the casing 26 and has its forward end projecting forwardly through and bearing in a bearing-plate 49 rigidly mounted within the casing 26 against the forward face of the intermediate Wall 3B thereof.

Closely adjacent its rear end, the rotor-shaft 48 has rigidly mounted' thereon a rotor-disk 50 preierably formed of relatively-soft and permeable magnetic material and having its periphery located closely adjacent to the interior periphery of the rear portion 28 of the casing 26 of which the flux-conducting ring 33 forms a part. Extending forwardly from the rotor-disk 50 at circumferentially-equidistant points thereon and adjacent the periphery of the said disk, are four (more or less) bar-like rotor-salients- 5 l. The said rotor-salients extend in parallelism with each `other and with the rotor-shaft 48 and are preferably formed of high-grade permanent-magnet material such, for instance, as cobalt-bearing steel..

Immediately forwardly of the bearing-plate 49 in the casing 26, the forward end of the rotorshaft 48 has rigidly mounted thereon a pinion 52 which meshes into and drives a gear-wheel 53. The said gear-wheel 53 is rigidly mounted on a shaft 54 adjacent the rear end thereof. rear end the said shaft 54 bears in the bearingplate 49 within the casing 26, and at its forward end the said shaft bearsv in the adjacent portion of the end plate 3l of the said casing.

Adjacent its forward end, the shaft 54 has rigidly mounted thereon a pinion 55 which meshes into and drives a gear-wheel 56. The gear-wheel 56 is rigidly mounted on a power-output shaft 51 about midway the length thereof and at a point intermediate the bearing-plate 49 and the endplate 3l of the casing 26. At its rear end, the power-output shaft 51 turns in the bearing-plate 49 while the forward end of the said shaft projects forwardly into a cup-shaped portion 58 formed integral with and outwardly extending from theend-plate 3l. The forward end of the power-output shaft 51- bears in the front wall of n the said cup-shaped portion 53 and rigidly carries at its forward end a permanent-magnetic coupling-member 59 of bar-like bipolar form.

The periphery of the bar-like inner couplingmember 59 turns in close proximity to the inner periphery of the portion 58 of the end-plate 3l'.

60 and 6I is preferably kept at a relatively-small diameter on the order. of about .010 inch.

The opposite wall-portions of each ofthe capillary tubes 60 and 6| are pinched or crushed together at 62, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, to effect the sealing of the capillary passage therethrough, and preferably the outer end of each of the said capillary tubes is tipped with a small amount of solder 63, as is shown in Fig. 3. For purposes of clarity of illustration, the solder 63 is' exaggerated in quantity since normally but a minute quantity will serve to seal the respective outer ends of the tubes 60 and 6I by penetration of a very small quantity thereof between the inner faces of the respective pinched wall-portions of the given tube. i

Ther interior of the casing 216 has a pool of oil 64 or other suitable lubrican-t therein. which, when the. casing is in the position shown in the drawings, remains largely in thelower part of the relatively-large-diametered forward portion 21 of At its the said casing. The said pool of oil has dipping therein the gear-wheel 56 which serves to distribute the same. In addition, the interior of the said casing is partly exhausted of air so that an appreciable amount of the oil in the pool 63 vaporizes and coats all of the parts in the said casing.

To effect the creation of a partial vacuum within the oil-tight casing 26 after the installation therein of the rotor and the reduction-gear train and associated parts, and to introduce the pool of oil 64 or its equivalent into the said casing, the capillary tubes 66 and 6I have respectively connected to them a suction-tube 65 and an oilsupply tube 66. The connection of the two tubes S5 and G6- as just referred to is made to the respective capillary tubes 6E! and 6l while the latter tubes are in the condition in which they are shown in Fig. l, i. e., prior to their being pinched as at 62 (Figs. 2 and 3) having the solder 63 applied thereto (Fig. 3). The outer end of the suction-tube 65 leads to a control-valve 61 which, in turn, is connected to a suction-pipe 68 leading to a suction-pump of any suitable type. The outer end of the oi1-supply tube 66 is extended downwardly into the open upper end of a transparent Vessel 69 in the form of a graduate having a vertical series of graduations 10 on its periphery which are preferably spaced apart a distance sufficient to represent an amount of oil equivalent to that desired to be contained in the oil pool 64 in the casing 26, as represented in Fig. 2.

After the connections have been made substantially as shown in Fig. l, :the control-valve 61 is turned so as to connect the suction-pipe 68 to the suction-tube 65 and hence also to the capillary tube 60- and the interior of the casing 26.- A partial vacuum (at least le inch and preferably about 2 inches or more of mercury) will be created within the casing 26 with the ultimate effect of drawing up a supply of oil or other lubricant from the transparent vessel 69. Due to `the relativelysmall diameter of thecapillary passages through both of the capillary tubes 60 and 6l, the flow of oil upwardly into the interior of the casing will be at a sufficiently-slow rate to enable the operator to watch the descent of the oil-level in th'e vessel 69. When the oil-level in the vessel 69 has been lowered an amount substantially corresponding to that represented bythe space between two adjacent graduations 1G, the operator Will ordinarily first shut the control-valve 61. Now by cutting both of the capillary tubes 60 and 6l about mid- Way of their length by means of a suitable pair of pliers or the like, the casing 26, and :the parts carried thereby, will be released from coupled relationship with respect to the tubes 65 and 66, .and the portions of the said capillary tubes 60 and 6l remaining with' the casing Will be sealed to :maintain the partial Vacuum in the casing. The sealing of the capillary tubes 60 and 6| by the operation just above referred to is made feasible by the ductile nature of the material from which the said capillary tubes are made. Preferably and in instances where the capillary tubes are composed of dyuctile metal such as copper, it is preferred that a safety seal be applied to the portions of the capillary tubes remaining with the casing 26 in the form of the solder 63 previously described and shown in Fig. 3.

In instances where a relatively-high degree of vacuum is desired within the casing 26, lthe capillary tube l or its equivalent may be pinched Aclosed prior to closing the control-valve 61 and prior to the pinching of the complemental capillary tube 60. When the desired degree of vacuum is secured, the capillary tube 60 may be pinched closed and the control-valve 61 turned to its off position.

By the process above described not only is oil or other lubricant placed within the casing 26 in a predetermined appropriate amount but the partial Vacuum is also created. This partial vacuum will serve not only to minimize the oxidation of the oil but will enable the said oil even though of a quite Viscous character to vaporize to a measurable degree and thus insure the lubrication of all the parts contained in the said casing. Furthermore,

by the creation and maintenance of a partial vacuum Within th'e casing 26 or its equivalent, the capillary movement of the liquid oil is facilitated over all of the surfaces of the parts contained in the said casing.

It is desired to avoid the presence of a pool of oil in the relatively-small-diametered rear portion 28 of the casing 26, and this desired, object will `be attained by the excluding action of the bearing-plate 49, to thus avoid mechanical interference with' the rotation of the high-speed rotor.

Despite the presence of the bearing-plate 49, however, and due largely to the partial vacuum in the casing 26, the bearings of the rotor-shaft 48 will be adequately lubricated by oil traveling therethrough by capillary action as Well as by vaporization, which latter Will cause some oil in vapor form to penetrate into th'e interior of the rear portion 28 of the said `casing through the bearing apertures in the said bearing-plate.

The invention may be carried out in other specic Ways than those herein set forth Without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention, and the present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes coming Within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended `to be embraced therein.

I claim:

1. A time-train unit for time-instruments which includes a time-train and a pool of lubricant adjacent the said time-train, and an oil-tight casing enveloping th'e said time-train and the said pool of lubricant; the interior of the said oiltight casing being exhausted of air to an amount in excess of one-half inch of mercury to thereby minimize oxidation and aid in the diffusion of the lubricant.

'2. A time-train unit for time-instruments which includes a time-train and a pool of lubricant adjacent the said time-train, and an oil-tight casing enveloping the said time-train and the said pool 30 lubricant.

i MANFRED J. JOHNSON. 

